Ruth Renner

Ketogenicity of Soybean Oil, Coconut Oil and Their Respective Fatty Acids for the Chick

plied by soybean oil, coconut oil and their respective fatty acids, with and without added glucose. Results showed that chicks fed diets contain ing soybean oil grew faster, had similar levels of blood glucose and blood ketone bodies but lower levels of liver glycogen than chicks fed diets con taining coconut oil. The appetite and growth depressing property of coco nut oil was accentuated when glycerol was deleted from the diet by sub stituting coconut fatty acids for coconut oil; in contrast to soybean fatty acids, the appetite and growth depressing property of coconut fatty acids was not overcome by the addition of glucose. Blood levels of ketone bodies were higher in chicks fed coconut fatty acids than when soybean fatty acids were fed, but no differences were observed in levels of blood glucose or liver glycogen. These results indicate that when fed in triglycérideform, coconut oil and soybean oil did not differ in ketogenicity for the chick; however, when fed in unesterified form, coconut fatty acids were found to be more ketogenic than soybean fatty acids. Conclusions as to whether more carbohydrate precursors are formed in the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids than in the oxidation of saturated fatty acids awaits further study. J. Nutr. 107: 2206-2112, 1977. INDEXING